Wireless communication controlling device, wireless communication system, and wireless communication controlling method

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication controlling device for controlling a communication between a wireless terminal and a server via a base station, the wireless communication controlling device including: a receiver configured to receive a request of a service for the server, time data of the service, location data of the wireless terminal, quality data of the wireless communication channel, and service data of the service, and a processor configured to estimate a communication speed for the service in accordance with the time data and the location data, to determine a quality threshold and a speed threshold respectively, in accordance with the location data and the service data, and to determine whether to grant the request of the service for the server or not, in accordance with a comparison between the quality data and the quality threshold and a comparison between the estimated communication speed and the speed threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of theprior Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-011651, filed on Jan. 25,2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present embodiments discussed here are related to wirelesscommunication controlling devices, wireless communication systems, andwireless communication controlling methods.

BACKGROUND

Recently, wireless communication terminal devices that are beingreferred to as smart phones are gaining popularity. In such wirelesscommunication terminal devices, various application software programsmay be installed to transmit and receive various kinds of data to andfrom a server through a communication network. The data may include, butare not limited to, audio data, image data, and video data. The trafficof wireless communication system is increasing as such wirelesscommunication terminal devices gain popularity.

To cope with the increase in traffic of wireless communication system,telecommunication carriers propose various measures to increase thetotal communication capacity of wireless communication system, such asconstructing more facilities for the wireless communication system.However, even if the various measures to increase the totalcommunication capacity of wireless communication system were to beimplemented, it would be very difficult to modify a locationdistribution of users carrying the wireless communication terminaldevices. Thus, imbalances in frequency utilization efficiency acrosscommunication areas may not be resolved. Here, the imbalances infrequency utilization efficiency across communication areas correspondsto a state where imbalances in traffic across communication areas occurdue to uneven presence of the wireless communication terminal devicesthat execute communications.

The following technology is well known as a technology that may be usedto resolve the imbalances in frequency utilization efficiency acrosscommunication areas. In that technology, a vehicle communication devicemounted in a car transmits vehicle's route information from a currentlocation to a destination of the car to a communication networkmanagement device. The vehicle communication device receives a wirelessresource status in each communication area including the vehicle's routefrom the communication network management device. The vehiclecommunication device looks up the received wireless resource status ineach communication area, and determines the communication area throughwhich the car is going to travel or a communication mode in thecommunication area where the car is traveling.

Furthermore, there is another well-known technology. In that technology,a mobile communication terminal device searches a route that allows themobile communication terminal device to execute a requested datacommunication by considering statuses of communication paths along theroute from a current location of the mobile communication terminaldevice to its destination, and produces a communication schedule. Themobile communication terminal device executes the communication when themobile communication terminal device finds the state that matches acommunication condition defined in the communication schedule produced.

Furthermore, there is still another well-known technology. In thattechnology, a portable phone obtains time information and locationinformation. Furthermore, the portable phone measures a speed of datacommunication receivable at the current time based on a pilot signaltransmitted from a base station. The portable phone makes a connectionbetween the measured data communication speed and the foregoing time andlocation information, generates history information regardingcommunication level, and creates a database by storing the generatedhistory information in time series order. The portable phone obtains thetime information and the location information when a transition requestto a data communication guide mode is received. The portable phone readsplural pieces of the history information that correspond to the obtainedtime information and the location information from the database. Theportable phone generates a guide display screen image by superimposingthe data communication speeds in areas indicated by the readout pluralpieces of the history information on map data centered on the currentlocation of the portable phone, and displays the guide display screenimage generated.

For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2009-188883,2008-236381, and 2003-249887 discuss technologies similar to the onesdescribed above.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, a wireless communicationcontrolling device for controlling a communication between a wirelessterminal and a server via a base station, the wireless communicationcontrolling device includes: a receiver configured to receive a requestof a service for the server, time data relating to a timing of theservice, location data relating to a location of the wireless terminal,quality data relating to a quality of the wireless communication channelbetween the wireless terminal and the base station, and service datarelating to a type of the service, and a processor configured toestimate a communication speed for the service in accordance with thetime data and the location data, to determine a quality threshold and aspeed threshold respectively, in accordance with the location data andthe service data, and to determine whether to grant the request of theservice for the server or not, in accordance with a comparison betweenthe quality data and the quality threshold and a comparison between theestimated communication speed and the speed threshold.

The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attainedby means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out inthe claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and arenot restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wireless communicationsystem according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of a wirelesscommunication terminal device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of a wireless basestation device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of a serveraccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of a wirelesscommunication controlling device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram of an exemplary map informationdatabase;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a wireless communication qualitydatabase;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram of a connecting terminal number database;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram of a setup connecting terminal numberdatabase;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary flow of a wireless communication control processaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary flow of a data communication determinationprocess according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of a wirelesscommunication controlling device according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 13 is an exemplary flow of a wireless communication control processaccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 14 is an exemplary flow of a data communication determinationprocess according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 15 is an exemplary flow of a wireless communication control processaccording to a third embodiment;

FIG. 16 is an exemplary flow of a wireless communication control processaccording to a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 17 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of a databasemanagement device according to a fifth embodiment;

FIG. 18 is an exemplary flow of a wireless communication control processaccording to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 19 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of a databasemanagement device according to a sixth embodiment; and

FIG. 20 is an exemplary flow of a wireless communication control processaccording to the sixth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

As described above, there is the well-known technology that allows thewireless communication terminal device to move from the currentcommunication area to the communication area in which a better wirelesscommunication quality is predicted so that the wireless communicationterminal device may successfully execute the communication therein.

However, in the foregoing technology, the wireless communication qualityin the destination communication area is a mere prediction. The accuracyof the prediction on the wireless communication quality in thedestination communication area may decrease as the prediction on thewireless communication quality is made for a more distant future. Thus,even when the wireless communication terminal device actually moves inthe destination communication area where a better wireless communicationquality is predicted, the wireless communication quality may not be asgood as predicted for the destination communication area.

Furthermore, when the foregoing technology is employed to resolve theimbalance in frequency utilization efficiency across communicationareas, users carrying the wireless communication terminal devices areforced to move from their respective current communication areas to thecommunication areas in which higher frequency utilization efficienciesand better wireless communication qualities are predicted. Accordingly,the foregoing technology may not be employed to resolve the imbalance infrequency utilization efficiency across communication areas unless theroute from the current communication area to the communication area, inwhich a better wireless communication quality is expected, matches withthe route along which the user intends to move.

Accordingly, it is desirable to resolve the imbalance in frequencyutilization efficiency across communication areas as much as possiblewhile allowing the wireless communication terminal devices to executecommunications in the respective communication areas where the wirelesscommunication terminal devices are currently located.

Hereinafter, embodiments are described in detail with reference to thedrawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wireless communicationsystem 1 according to a first embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system 1 accordingto the first embodiment includes a wireless communication terminaldevice 2 (which may be referred to as a wireless terminal), a wirelessbase station device 3 (which may be referred to as a base station), acommunication network 4, a server 5, and global positioning system (GPS)satellites 6.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 is a device thatcommunicates with the server 5 through the wireless base station device3 and the communication network 4.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 according to the first embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, the wireless communication terminal device 2includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201, a GPS unit 202, a readonly memory (ROM) 203, a random access memory (RAM) 204, an auxiliarystorage device 205 such as, but not limited to, a hard disk drive (HDD),a communication interface 206, a real time clock (RTC) circuit 207, aninput device 208, and a display device 209. These constituting elements201-209 of the wireless communication terminal device 2 areinterconnected to one another through a bus 210.

The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the wireless communicationterminal device 2. For example, the CPU 201 obtains time data from theRTC circuit 207 provided in the wireless communication terminal device2. The CPU 201 computes a terminal location that indicates a currentlocation of the wireless communication terminal device 2 by use of thetime data obtained from the RTC circuit 207 and time data received fromthe GPS satellites 6 through the GPS unit 202. Further, the CPU 201receives a control signal transmitted from the wireless base stationdevice 3 through the communication interface 206, and measures thewireless communication quality at the current location for the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by using the control signal received.

The ROM 203 stores programs such as a boot program, applicationprograms, and the like. The RAM 204 is used as a work area of the CPU201 during executions of various processes. The auxiliary storage device205 stores process data during communication with the server 5 throughthe wireless base station device 3. The communication interface 206 isan interface that allows the wireless communication terminal device 2 tocommunicate wirelessly with the wireless base station device 3, and maybe, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP). The input device 208is a device that receives instructions from a user of the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2, and may be, for example, a keyboard ora pointing device. The display device 209 is a device that displaysresults of processes executed by the CPU 201, and may be, for example, aliquid crystal display.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 includes a user equipment(UE) specified in the standard technical specification of thirdgeneration partnership project (3GPP). The wireless communicationterminal device 2 may be, for example, a multi-functional portable phonethat may be referred to as a smart phone, or a portable terminal devicewith a wireless communication capability that may be referred to as atablet terminal. Note that although only one wireless communicationterminal device 2 is illustrated in FIG. 1 the wireless communicationsystem 1 may include a plurality of the wireless communication terminaldevices 2.

The wireless base station device 3 is a device that is connected to thecommunication network 4, and that establishes, maintains, and releaseswireless communication channels with the wireless communication terminaldevices 2 located within the communication area this wireless basestation device 3 covers.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of the wirelessbase station device 3 according to the first embodiment. As illustratedin FIG. 3, the wireless base station device 3 includes a CPU 301, a ROM302, a RAM 303, an auxiliary storage device 304 such as, but not limitedto, a HDD, and a communication interface 305. These constitutingelements 301-305 of the wireless base station device 3 areinterconnected to one another through a bus 306. Alternatively, thewireless base station device 3 may be provided with an input-and-outputinterface (not illustrated in the drawing) in addition to the foregoingconstituting elements so as to allow this input-and-output interface tobe connected with an input device such as a keyboard and the like and adisplay device such as a liquid crystal display or the like.

The CPU 301 controls the overall operation of the wireless base stationdevice 3. The ROM 302 stores programs such as a boot program and thelike. The RAM 303 is used as a work area of the CPU 301 duringexecutions of various processes. The auxiliary storage device 304 storesdata regarding the wireless communication terminal device 2 that isbeing processed by the wireless base station device 3. The communicationinterface 305 is an interface that allows the wireless base stationdevice 3 to communicate wirelessly with the wireless communicationterminal device 2. Furthermore, the communication interface 305 is aninterface for transmitting and receiving data between the wireless basestation device 3 and the server 5 through the communication network 4.

The wireless base station device 3 receives data transmitted from thewireless communication terminal device 2, and transmits the receiveddata to the server 5 through the communication network 4. The wirelessbase station device 3 further receives data transmitted from the server5 through the communication network 4, and transmits the received datato the wireless communication terminal device 2.

The wireless base station device 3 may be, for example, an evolved nodeB (eNodeB) specified in the technical standard specification of 3GPP.Note that although only one wireless base station device 3 isillustrated in FIG. 1 the wireless communication system 1 may include aplurality of the wireless base station devices 3.

The communication network 4 is a communication network such as anInternet protocol (IP) network or the like.

The server 5 includes a content server, stores a variety of contentssuch as audio data, text data, image data, video data, etc., andtransmits the contents stored therein to the wireless communicationterminal device 2. Note that although only one server 5 is illustratedin FIG. 1 the wireless communication system 1 may include a plurality ofthe servers 5.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of the server 5according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the server5 includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, an auxiliary storage device504 such as, but not limited to, a HDD, and a communication interface505. These constituting elements 501-505 of the server 5 areinterconnected to one another through a bus 506. Alternatively, theserver 5 may be provided with an input-and-output interface (notillustrated in the drawing) in addition to the foregoing constitutingelements so as to allow this input-and-output interface to be connectedwith an input device such as a keyboard and the like and a displaydevice such as a liquid crystal display or the like.

The CPU 501 controls the overall operation of the server 5. The ROM 502stores programs such as a boot program and the like. The RAM 503 is usedas a work area of the CPU 501 during executions of various processes.The auxiliary storage device 504 stores data regarding the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 that is in communication with the server5 through the wireless base station device 3. The communicationinterface 505 is connected to the communication network 4 and, throughthis communication network 4, the wireless base station device 3.

In the first embodiment, the server 5 includes a wireless communicationcontrolling device 7 (which may be referred to as a wirelesscommunication controller). The wireless communication controlling device7 is a device that executes a communication control between the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 and the server 5 in accordance with awireless communication control process flow, which will be describedbelow.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of the wirelesscommunication controlling device 7 according to the first embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the wireless communication controlling device7 includes a controlling unit 710, a storage unit 720, and acommunication unit 730. In the first embodiment, the controlling unit710 may correspond to, for example, the CPU 501, the RAM 503, and theROM 502. The storage unit 720 may correspond to, for example, theauxiliary storage device 504. The communication unit 730 may correspondto, for example, the communication interface 505.

The storage unit 720 stores a map information database 721, a wirelesscommunication quality database 722, a connecting terminal numberdatabase 723, and a setup connecting terminal number database 724.

The map information database 721 is a database including map informationdivided according to the communication areas that are covered with thewireless base station devices 3 included in the wireless communicationsystem 1. FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram of an exemplary mapinformation database. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the mapinformation included in the map information database 721 is divided intoregions, from region “a” to region “p”, for management. The dividedregions may respectively correspond to, for example, the communicationareas of the wireless base station devices 3 included in the wirelesscommunication system 1. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the mapinformation is divided so as to form a grid. Alternatively, the mapinformation may be divided into shapes corresponding to thecommunication areas covered by the respective wireless base stationdevices 3.

The wireless communication quality database 722 is a database formanaging wireless communication quality data in the respectivecommunication areas covered by the wireless base station devices 3included in the wireless communication system 1. The wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 measures the wireless communicationquality of the control signal transmitted from the wireless base stationdevice 3 at a predetermined time interval at the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2. The wireless communicationterminal device 2 transmits the measured wireless communication qualitydata to the wireless communication controlling device 7 together withterminal location data that is indicative of the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2. The controlling unit 710 ofthe wireless communication controlling device 7 stores received wirelesscommunication quality data in the wireless communication qualitydatabase 722 together with received terminal location data. FIG. 7 is anexemplary diagram of the wireless communication quality database 722. InFIG. 7, the value of “signal to interference plus noise power ratio”(SINR) is stored together with the terminal location data that is thelatitude data and longitude data, as an example of wirelesscommunication quality data.

Alternatively, a configuration different from the example illustrated inFIG. 7 may be employed. The wireless communication quality database 722may store the value of “received signal strength indication” (RSSI),“reference signal received power” (RSRP), or “reference signal receivedquality” (RSRQ), as the wireless communication quality data.

Furthermore, the wireless communication quality database 722 storeswireless communication quality thresholds that are set for therespective communication areas in response to a communication service.Categorical examples of the communication service may include mailreceiving, web browsing, video playback, and the like. The wirelesscommunication quality threshold is a minimum value of the wirelesscommunication quality desirable in a wireless communication channelbetween the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the wirelessbase station device 3 for the wireless communication terminal device 2to receive the communication service from the server 5 through thewireless base station device 3. In the case where the wirelesscommunication quality database 722 stores the SINR values as thewireless communication quality data as in the example illustrated inFIG. 7, the wireless communication quality thresholds stored in thewireless communication quality database 722 are minimum SINR thresholdsthat are desirable to execute communications for the communicationservice in the respective communication areas.

The controlling unit 710 looks up the wireless communication qualitydatabase 722 for the terminal location data, and collects wirelesscommunication quality values in the wireless communication qualitydatabase 722 for each of the communication areas (regions) of the mapinformation database 721. The controlling unit 710 computes the wirelesscommunication quality threshold for each communication area in responseto the communication service by use of the wireless communicationquality values collected. For example, the controlling unit 710 mayproduce a cumulative probability distribution of the wirelesscommunication quality value for each communication area by using thewireless communication quality values collected for that communicationarea. The controlling unit 710 then may compute the wirelesscommunication quality threshold for each communication area in responseto the communication service by use of the cumulative probabilitydistribution produced. For example, when the communication service issuch that higher wireless communication quality is desirable, such aswatching of a video, the wireless communication quality threshold may beset at a highest wireless communication quality value that correspondsto a highest cumulative probability value in the cumulative probabilitydistribution. When the communication service is such that low wirelesscommunication quality is acceptable, such as web browsing, the wirelesscommunication quality threshold may be set at a lower wirelesscommunication quality value by a predetermined ratio, compared with theforegoing wireless communication quality value for the communicationservice in which the higher wireless communication quality is desirable.

The foregoing computation process of the wireless communication qualitythreshold with the controlling unit 710 is performed at a predeterminedtime interval, and the wireless communication quality thresholds in thewireless communication quality database 722 are updated at apredetermined time interval.

The connecting terminal number database 723 is an example of acommunication speed database, and is a database for managing dataregarding the communication speed sampled at a predetermined timeinterval at each of the communication areas covered by the wireless basestation devices 3 included in the wireless communication system 1.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram of the connecting terminal numberdatabase 723. In FIG. 8, as an example of the data regarding thecommunication speed, data of the connecting terminal number are storedtogether with respective data of the time, the latitude, and thelongitude. The connecting terminal number is the number of the wirelesscommunication terminal devices 2 that are being connected to thewireless base station device 3 at a given time. The latitude and thelongitude stored in the connecting terminal number database 723 indicatethe installation location of the wireless base station device 3.

Alternatively, a configuration different from the example illustrated inFIG. 8 may be employed. The communication speed database may storethroughput values of a wireless communication channel between thewireless communication terminal device 2 and the wireless base stationdevice 3, which are measured by the wireless communication terminaldevice 2, as the data regarding communication speed at eachcommunication area sampled at a given time interval.

The setup connecting terminal number database 724 is an example of acommunication speed threshold database, and is a database for managingdata regarding minimum communication speed thresholds that are desirablefor respective data types.

The setup connecting terminal number database 724 stores the maximumnumber of the wireless communication terminal devices 2 that are allowedto be connected to the wireless base station device 3, namely, the setupconnecting terminal number for each data type (each service type). Thesetup connecting terminal number is an example of the communicationspeed threshold. FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram of the setup connectingterminal number database 724. Categorical examples of the data type mayinclude mail receiving, web browsing, video playback, and the like.

When communication capabilities of the wireless base station devices 3included in the wireless communication system 1 are different from oneanother, the setup connecting terminal number database 724 may beproduced for each of the wireless base station devices 3. When thecommunication speed database storing the throughput values measured withthe wireless communication terminal devices 2 is employed, a setupcommunication speed database may be employed. This setup communicationspeed database stores minimum throughput values that are desirable forthe respective data types, namely, throughput thresholds for therespective data types.

The communication unit 730 is an interface that allows the wirelesscommunication controlling device 7 to communicate with another deviceincluded in the wireless communication system 1. In the firstembodiment, the communication unit 730 receives the service type data,the terminal location data, the time data, and the wirelesscommunication quality data from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2. The service type data is data describing the communicationservice that the wireless communication terminal device 2 requests theserver 5 to provide.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the controlling unit 710 includes a locationdetermination unit 711, a threshold determination unit 712, and agranting-communication determination unit 713.

The location determination unit 711 receives the terminal location datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. The location determination unit 711 comparesthe received terminal location data with the latitude and longitude dataof the regions that are being managed with the map information database721, and determines in which communication area of the wireless basestation device 3 the wireless communication terminal device 2 iscurrently located.

The threshold determination unit 712 receives the time data, the servicetype data, and the wireless communication quality data transmitted fromthe wireless communication terminal device 2 through the communicationunit 730. Furthermore, the threshold determination unit 712 receivesdata on the communication area determined by the location determinationunit 711.

The threshold determination unit 712 extracts from the wirelesscommunication quality database 722 the wireless communication qualitythreshold that corresponds to the communication service indicated by theservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711.

The threshold determination unit 712 computes an average communicationspeed value of the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711. This average communication speed value is avalue at a time when a data communication request is received from thewireless communication terminal device 2. For example, the thresholddetermination unit 712 extracts from the connecting terminal numberdatabase 723 the connecting terminal number data corresponding to thecommunication area that matches the communication area determined by thelocation determination unit 711. Of the connecting terminal number dataextracted, the threshold determination unit 712 further extracts theconnecting terminal number data within a predetermined time period (onehour, for example) that is centered at the time indicated by the timedata transmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2. Thethreshold determination unit 712 computes an average value of theconnecting terminal number data thus extracted, namely, an averageconnecting terminal number.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 receives respectivedata of the extracted wireless communication quality threshold and thecomputed average communication speed value from the thresholddetermination unit 712. The granting-communication determination unit713 further receives the wireless communication quality data and theservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 through the communication unit 730.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 extracts from thesetup communication speed database the communication speed thresholdthat corresponds to the communication service indicated by the servicetype data received. For example, the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 extracts from the setup connecting terminalnumber database 724 the setup connecting terminal number thatcorresponds to the communication service indicated by the service typedata.

When communication capabilities of the wireless base station devices 3are different from one another and the setup connecting terminal numberdatabase 724 is produced for each of the wireless base station devices3, the granting-communication determination unit 713 receives data ofthe communication area determined by the location determination unit711. Furthermore, the granting-communication determination unit 713extracts the setup connecting terminal number corresponding to thecommunication service indicated by the service type data from the setupconnecting terminal number database 724 that corresponds to thecommunication area determined by the location determination unit 711.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 determines whether ornot the wireless communication quality value in the communication areain which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated is equal to or higher than the wireless communication qualitythreshold extracted by the threshold determination unit 712 at the timewhen the wireless communication terminal device 2 requests the datacommunication. Furthermore, the wireless communication controllingdevice 7 determines whether or not the average communication speed valuein the communication area in which the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 is currently located is equal to or higher than the extractedcommunication speed threshold at the time when the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 requests the data communication.Furthermore, based on determination results, the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 determines whether or not to start acommunication between the wireless communication terminal device 2 andthe server 5 through the wireless base station device 3 that covers thecommunication area in which the wireless communication terminal device 2is currently located.

A specific example of a wireless communication control process flow isnow described. In the wireless communication system 1 according to thefirst embodiment, this process flow allows the wireless communicationterminal device 2 to receive a variety of data such as, but not limitedto, audio data, text data, image data, and video data from the server 5.

FIG. 10 is an example of the wireless communication control process flowaccording to the first embodiment.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits the terminallocation data, the time data, the wireless communication quality data,and the service type data to the wireless communication controllingdevice 7 when the wireless communication terminal device 2 requests acommunication service for the server 5 (step S101). In the firstembodiment, the wireless communication controlling device 7 is includedin the server 5. Thus, the wireless communication terminal device 2transmits these data to the server 5 via the wireless base stationdevice 3 that covers the communication area in which the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 is currently located.

The time data is the time at which the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 transmits the communication service request to the server 5.The terminal location data may be, for example, latitude and longitudedata indicative of the current location of the wireless communicationterminal device 2. The wireless communication quality is communicationquality of the wireless communication channel between the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 and the wireless base station device 3that covers the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located. The wireless communicationquality may be, for example, the SINR value. The service types mayinclude, for example, web browsing, video downloading, mail receiving,and subscription data receiving.

The transmission of these data performed at step S101 is repeated at apredetermined time interval until the communication starts between thewireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.

The communication unit 730 receives the terminal location data, the timedata, the wireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 (stepS102).

The location determination unit 711 receives the terminal location datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. The location determination unit 711determines the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located from the received terminallocation data (step S103). More specifically, the location determinationunit 711 looks up the map information database 721, and compares thelocation indicated by the received terminal location data with theregions of the map information database 721. The location determinationunit 711 determines the region including the location indicated by theterminal location data as the communication area that covers the currentlocation of the wireless communication terminal device 2. The locationdetermination unit 711 transmits data on the determined communicationarea to the threshold determination unit 712.

The threshold determination unit 712 receives the data on thecommunication area determined by the location determination unit 711.Furthermore, the threshold determination unit 712 receives the timedata, the wireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730.

The threshold determination unit 712 looks up the wireless communicationquality database 722, and determines the wireless communication qualitythreshold that corresponds to the communication service indicated by theservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711 (step S104).

The threshold determination unit 712 looks up the connecting terminalnumber database 723, and determines the average connecting terminalnumber that corresponds to the time indicated by the time data receivedfrom the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the communicationarea determined by the location determination unit 711 (step S105).

The threshold determination unit 712 transmits respective data on thedetermined wireless communication quality threshold and the determinedaverage connecting terminal number to the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 receives from thethreshold determination unit 712 the respective data on the determinedwireless communication quality threshold and the determined averageconnecting terminal number. Furthermore, the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 receives the wireless communication quality dataand the service type data transmitted from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 through the communication unit 730.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 determines whether ornot to grant a permission to start a communication for the communicationservice indicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by using the received wirelesscommunication quality threshold and the received average connectingterminal number (step S106). An example of the data communicationdetermination process at step S106 is described with reference to FIG.11.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary flow of the data communication determinationprocess according to the first embodiment.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 determines whether ornot the wireless communication quality value, which is indicated by thewireless communication quality data received from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 through the communication unit 730, isequal to or higher than the wireless communication quality thresholddetermined by the threshold determination unit 712. For example, thegranting-communication determination unit 713 may determine whether ornot the SINR value indicated by the wireless communication quality datais equal to or higher than the SINR threshold value determined by thethreshold determination unit 712 (step S201).

When the wireless communication quality value indicated by the wirelesscommunication quality data is determined to be equal to or higher thanthe wireless communication quality threshold determined by the thresholddetermination unit 712 (“Yes” at step S201), the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 ends the data communication determination processat step S106. Subsequently, the granting-communication determinationunit 713 advances the wireless communication control process to stepS107.

On the other hand, when the wireless communication quality valueindicated by the wireless communication quality data is determined to beless than the wireless communication quality threshold determined by thethreshold determination unit 712 (“No” at step S201), thegranting-communication determination unit 713 performs a process of stepS202.

At step S202, the granting-communication determination unit 713 extractsfrom the setup connecting terminal number database 724 the setupconnecting terminal number that corresponds to the communication serviceindicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2. Next, the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 determines whether or not the average connectingterminal number determined by the threshold determination unit 712 isequal to or less than the setup connecting terminal number extracted.The determination process at step S202 is an example of a process todetermine whether or not the average communication speed value is equalto or higher than the communication speed threshold.

When the average connecting terminal number is determined to be equal toor less than the setup connecting terminal number (“Yes” at step S202),the granting-communication determination unit 713 ends the datacommunication determination process at step S106, and advances thewireless communication control process to step S107.

On the other hand, when the average connecting terminal number isdetermined to be higher than the setup connecting terminal number (“No”at step S202), the granting-communication determination unit 713performs a process of step S203.

At step S203, the granting-communication determination unit 713determines whether or not the communication service indicated by theservice type data received from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 through the communication unit 730 is an instantaneouscommunication service.

The communication services indicated by the service type data may begenerally divided into a first communication service in which animmediate start of communication is desirable and a second communicationservice in which an immediate start of communication is not necessarilydesirable.

Examples of the first communication service may include communicationservices that allow a user to download and watch a video program fromthe server 5 or to browse a website provided by the server 5 with thewireless communication terminal device 2. In the first communicationservice, by using the input device 208, the user of the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 runs an application software programstored in the auxiliary storage device 205, and request a datatransmission from the server 5 through the running application softwareprogram. As described above, the user requests the data transmission inthe first communication service. Thus, in the first communicationservice, it is desirable to start the communication immediately betweenthe wireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5 throughthe wireless base station device 3 that covers the communication area inwhich the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.

Examples of the second communication service may include communicationservices that allow a user to receive a mail or subscription datatransmitted from the server 5 with the wireless communication terminaldevice 2. In the second communication service, the server 5 may transmitthe data to the wireless communication terminal device 2 atpredetermined timing determined by the server 5. In other words, in thesecond communication service, the user may not recognize specific timingat which the data is transmitted from the server 5. Accordingly, thecommunication between the wireless communication terminal device 2 andthe server 5 may be postponed until a communication environment(wireless communication quality or communication speed) is ready forcommunication in the communication area in which the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 is currently located.

When the communication service indicated by the service type data isdetermined to be a non-instantaneous second communication service (“No”at step S203), the granting-communication determination unit 713 bringsthe wireless communication control process back to the process of stepS102.

On the other hand, when the communication service indicated by theservice type data is determined to be an instantaneous firstcommunication service (“Yes” at step S203), the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 performs a process of step S204.

At step S204, the granting-communication determination unit 713transmits a communication start confirmation request to the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 through the communication unit 730 torequest a confirmation as to whether or not to start the communicationbetween the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.In other words, the granting-communication determination unit 713 asksthe wireless communication terminal device 2 whether or not thecommunication with the server 5 is to be started immediately even if thewireless communication quality and the communication speed desirable toperform the requested communication service are not obtained at thecurrent location of the wireless communication terminal device 2.

The display device 209 of the wireless communication terminal device 2that received the communication start confirmation request displays aconfirmation screen to determine whether or not to start thecommunication immediately even if the wireless communication quality andthe communication speed desirable to perform requested the communicationservice are not obtained at the current location of the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2. The user of the wireless communicationterminal device 2 checks the confirmation screen displayed, andinstructs the wireless communication terminal device 2 through the inputdevice 208 as to whether or not to start the communication immediately.The CPU 201 transmits data including the instruction content of user tothe communication unit 730 through the communication interface 206.

The communication unit 730 receives the data including the instructioncontent as to whether or not to start the communication immediately fromthe wireless communication terminal device 2, and transmits the receiveddata to the granting-communication determination unit 713.

When the instruction content included in the data transmitted from thewireless communication terminal device 2 is the instruction to start thecommunication immediately (“Yes” at step S204), thegranting-communication determination unit 713 ends the datacommunication determination process at step S106, and advances thewireless communication control process to step S107.

On the other hand, when the instruction content included in the datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 is theinstruction not to start the communication immediately, namely, theinstruction to postpone the start of the communication (“No” at stepS204), the granting-communication determination unit 713 brings the datacommunication determination process back to step S102.

When the data communication determination process returns to step S102,the communication unit 730 re-receives the terminal location data, thetime data, the wireless communication quality data, and the service typedata, which are newly transmitted from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 (step S102). The location determination unit 711re-determines the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located based on the newly transmittedterminal location data from the wireless communication terminal device 2(step S103). For example, when a user carrying the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 moves and the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2 is changed, it is possible thata new communication area, which is different from the one previouslydetermined, may be determined as the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located. Thethreshold determination unit 712 re-selects the wireless communicationquality threshold based on this re-determined communication area and thenewly transmitted service type data from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 (step S104). The threshold determination unit 712re-selects the average connecting terminal number based on thisre-determined communication area and the newly transmitted time datafrom the wireless communication terminal device 2 (step S105). Thegranting-communication determination unit 713 performs the datacommunication determination process again based on the re-selectedwireless communication quality threshold and the average connectingterminal number (step S106).

The foregoing loop process from step S102 to step S106 is repeated untilthe postponed communication between the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the server 5 is started.

On the other hand, when the wireless communication control processproceeds to step S107, the granting-communication determination unit 713transmits notifications to the wireless communication terminal device 2and the wireless base station device 3 that covers the communicationarea in which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated to inform granting of a permission to start the communicationbetween the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.Subsequently, the communication between the wireless communicationterminal device 2 and the server 5 is executed through the wireless basestation device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.

As described in the above, according to the first embodiment, when thecommunication between the wireless communication terminal device 2 andthe sever 5 is categorized such that the immediate start thereof is notnecessarily desired, the communication is postponed until thecommunication environment (wireless communication quality orcommunication speed) is improved in the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.Furthermore, even in the case where the communication is categorizedsuch that the immediate start thereof is desired, the communication ispostponed until the communication environment is improved in thecommunication area in which the wireless communication terminal device 2is currently located when a postponement is instructed by the user ofthe wireless communication terminal device 2.

On the other hand, according to the first embodiment, when thecommunication environment is satisfactory in the communication area inwhich the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located,the communication between the wireless communication terminal device 2and the server 5 is immediately started at the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2. Furthermore, even when thecommunication environment is not satisfactory in the communication areain which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated, the communication is immediately started in response to aninstruction from the user of the wireless communication terminal device2 when that communication is categorized such that the immediate startthereof is desired.

Accordingly, the first embodiment allows to resolve the imbalance infrequency utilization efficiency across the communication areas as muchas possible while allowing the wireless communication terminal devicesto execute communications in the communication areas in which thewireless communication terminal devices are currently located.

Second Embodiment

As described above, in the first embodiment, the wireless communicationcontrolling device 7 determines whether or not the wirelesscommunication quality value in the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located is equalto or higher than the wireless communication quality threshold at thetime when the wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits a datacommunication request to the server 5. Furthermore, the wirelesscommunication controlling device 7 determines whether or not the averagecommunication speed value in the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located is equalto or higher than the communication speed threshold at the time when thewireless communication terminal device 2 transmits the datacommunication request to the server 5. Still furthermore, the wirelesscommunication controlling device 7 determines, based on determinationresults, whether or not to start a communication between the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 and the server 5 through the wirelessbase station device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the wireless communicationcontrolling device determines whether or not the wireless communicationquality value in the communication area in which the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 is currently located is equal to orhigher than the wireless communication quality threshold at the timewhen the wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits a datacommunication request to the server 5. Furthermore, the wirelesscommunication controlling device obtains a current communication speedvalue in the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located from the wireless base stationdevice 3. The wireless communication controlling device determineswhether or not the obtained current communication speed value is equalto or higher than the communication speed threshold at the time when thewireless communication terminal device 2 transmits a data communicationrequest to the server 5. Still furthermore, the wireless communicationcontrolling device determines, based on determination results, whetheror not to start a communication between the wireless communicationterminal device 2 and the server 5 through the wireless base stationdevice 3 that covers the communication area in which the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 is currently located.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of the wirelesscommunication controlling device according to the second embodiment. Awireless communication controlling device 8 illustrated in FIG. 12 is adevice that executes a communication control between the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 and the server 5 according to a wirelesscommunication control process flow, which will be described below. Ofconstituting elements of the wireless communication controlling device 8illustrated in FIG. 12, constituting elements similar to the ones of thewireless communication controlling device 7 illustrated in FIG. 5 aredenoted with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the wireless communication controlling device8 includes a controlling unit 810, a storage unit 820, and acommunication unit 730.

The controlling unit 810 includes a location determination unit 711, athreshold determination unit 812, and a granting-communicationdetermination unit 813.

The threshold determination unit 812 extracts from a wirelesscommunication quality database 722 wireless communication qualitythreshold data that corresponds to a communication service indicated byservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711. The threshold determination unit 812 isdifferent from the threshold determination unit 712 in that thethreshold determination unit 812 obtains an average communication speedvalue at a time when a data communication request is received from thewireless communication terminal device 2, and does not compute theaverage communication speed value in the communication area determinedby the location determination unit 711.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 extracts from acommunication speed threshold database a communication speed thresholdthat corresponds to the communication service indicated by the servicetype data transmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2.For example, the granting-communication determination unit 813 extractsfrom a setup connecting terminal number database 724 a setup connectingterminal number that corresponds to the communication service indicatedby the service type data transmitted from the wireless communicationterminal device 2.

Furthermore, the granting-communication determination unit 813 obtains acurrent communication speed value from the wireless base station device3 that covers the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located. For example, thegranting-communication determination unit 813 obtains the number of thewireless communication terminal devices 2 that are currently inconnection, namely, the current connecting terminal number, from thewireless base station device 3 that covers the communication area inwhich the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 determines whether ornot to grant a permission to start a communication for the communicationservice indicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by use of the extracted communicationspeed threshold and the obtained current communication speed value.

The storage unit 820 stores a map information database 721, the wirelesscommunication quality database 722, and the setup connecting terminalnumber database 724. Unlike the storage unit 720, the storage unit 820does not include the connecting terminal number database 723. Asdescribed above, the setup connecting terminal number database 724 is anexample of the communication speed threshold database.

In the second embodiment, the wireless communication controlling device8 is included in the server 5. The controlling unit 810 may correspondto, for example, the CPU 501, the RAM 503, and the ROM 502. The storageunit 820 may correspond to, for example, the auxiliary storage device504. The communication unit 730 may correspond to, for example, thecommunication interface 505.

A specific example of the wireless communication control process flow isnow described. In a wireless communication system 1 according to thesecond embodiment, this process flow allows the wireless communicationterminal device 2 to receive a variety of data such as, but not limitedto, audio data, text data, image data, and video data from the server 5.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary flow of the wireless communication controlprocess according to the second embodiment.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits terminal locationdata, time data, wireless communication quality data, and service typedata to the wireless communication controlling device 8 when thewireless communication terminal device 2 requests a communicationservice for the server 5 (step S301). In the second embodiment, thewireless communication controlling device 8 is included in the server 5.Thus, the wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits these datato the server 5 via the wireless base station device 3 that covers thecommunication area in which the wireless communication terminal device 2is currently located. The transmission of these data performed at stepS301 is repeated at a predetermined time interval until thecommunication starts between the wireless communication terminal device2 and the server 5.

The communication unit 730 receives the terminal location data, the timedata, the wireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 (stepS302).

The location determination unit 711 receives the terminal location datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. The location determination unit 711 looks upthe map information database 721, and compares a location indicated bythe received terminal location data with regions of the map informationdatabase 721. The location determination unit 711 determines the regionincluding the location indicated by the terminal location data as thecommunication area that covers the current location of the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 (step S303). The location determinationunit 711 transmits data on the determined communication area to thethreshold determination unit 812.

The threshold determination unit 812 receives the data on thecommunication area determined by the location determination unit 711.Furthermore, the threshold determination unit 812 receives the timedata, the wireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730.

The threshold determination unit 812 looks up the wireless communicationquality database 722, and determines a wireless communication qualitythreshold that corresponds to the communication service indicated by theservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711 (step S304). The threshold determination unit 812transmits data on the determined wireless communication qualitythreshold to the granting-communication determination unit 813.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 transmits an inquiryabout the number of the wireless communication terminal devices 2 thatare currently in connection, namely, a current connecting terminalnumber to the wireless base station device 3 that covers thecommunication area in which the wireless communication terminal device 2is currently located (step S305).

The wireless base station device 3 receives the inquiry about thecurrent connecting terminal number from the wireless communicationcontrolling device 8 (step S306), and computes the current connectingterminal number (step S307). The computation of the current connectingterminal number is performed with a controlling unit of the wirelessbase station device 3 by counting the number of the wirelesscommunication terminal devices 2 that are being connected in acommunication process database (not illustrated in the figure) stored ina storage unit of the wireless base station device 3. The controllingunit of the wireless base station device 3 may correspond to, forexample, the CPU 301, the ROM 302, and the RAM 303. The storage unit ofthe wireless base station device 3 may correspond to, for example, theauxiliary storage device 304.

The wireless base station device 3 transmits data on the calculatedcurrent connecting terminal number to the wireless communicationcontrolling device 8 (step S308).

The granting-communication determination unit 813 receives the data onthe current connecting terminal number transmitted from the wirelessbase station device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located throughthe communication unit 730 (step S309). Furthermore, thegranting-communication determination unit 813 receives the wirelesscommunication quality data and the service type data transmitted fromthe wireless communication terminal device 2 through the communicationunit 730. The granting-communication determination unit 813 receives thedetermined wireless communication quality threshold data from thethreshold determination unit 812.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 determines whether ornot to grant a permission to start a communication for the communicationservice indicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by use of the received wirelesscommunication quality threshold and the received current connectingterminal number (step S310). An example of the data communicationdetermination process at step S310 is described with reference to FIG.14.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary flow of the data communication determinationprocess according to the second embodiment.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 determines whether ornot a wireless communication quality value indicated by the wirelesscommunication quality data transmitted from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is equal to or higher than the wireless communicationquality threshold determined by the threshold determination unit 812.For example, the granting-communication determination unit 813 maydetermine whether or not a SINR value indicated by the wirelesscommunication quality data is equal to or higher than a SINR thresholdvalue determined by the threshold determination unit 812 (step S401).

When the wireless communication quality value indicated by the wirelesscommunication quality data is determined to be equal to or higher thanthe wireless communication quality threshold determined by the thresholddetermination unit 812 (“Yes” at step S401), the granting-communicationdetermination unit 813 ends the data communication determination processat step S310. Next, the granting-communication determination unit 813advances the wireless communication control process to step S311.

On the other hand, when the wireless communication quality valueindicated by the wireless communication quality data is determined to beless than the wireless communication quality threshold determined by thethreshold determination unit 812 (“No” at step S401), thegranting-communication determination unit 813 performs a process of stepS402.

At step S402, the granting-communication determination unit 813 extractsfrom the setup connecting terminal number database 724 a setupconnecting terminal number that corresponds to the communication serviceindicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2. Furthermore, the granting-communicationdetermination unit 813 determines whether or not the current connectingterminal number, which is received from the wireless base station device3 that covers the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located, is equal to or less than theextracted setup connecting terminal number. The determination process atstep S402 is an example of a process to determine whether or not thecurrent communication speed value is equal to or higher than thecommunication speed threshold.

When the current connecting terminal number is determined to be equal toor less than the setup connecting terminal number (“Yes” at step S402),the granting-communication determination unit 813 ends the datacommunication determination process at step S310, and advances thewireless communication control process to step S311.

On the other hand, when the current connecting terminal number isdetermined to be higher than the setup connecting terminal number (“No”at step S402), the granting-communication determination unit 813performs a process of step S403.

At step S403, the granting-communication determination unit 813determines whether or not the communication service indicated by theservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 is an instantaneous communication service. An instantaneouscommunication service may be, for example, the foregoing firstcommunication service, and a non-instantaneous communication service maybe, for example, the foregoing second communication service.

When the communication service indicated by the service type data isdetermined to be a non-instantaneous second communication service (“No”at step S403), the granting-communication determination unit 813 bringsthe wireless communication control process back to the process of stepS302.

On the other hand, when the communication service indicated by theservice type data is determined to be an instantaneous firstcommunication service (“Yes” at step S403), the granting-communicationdetermination unit 813 performs a process of step S404.

At step S404, the granting-communication determination unit 813transmits a communication start confirmation request to the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 through the communication unit 730 torequest a confirmation as to whether or not to start the communicationbetween the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.In other words, the granting-communication determination unit 813 asksthe wireless communication terminal device 2 whether or not to start thecommunication with the server 5 immediately even when the wirelesscommunication quality and the communication speed desirable to performthe requested communication service are not obtained at the currentlocation of the wireless communication terminal device 2. The wirelesscommunication terminal device 2, which receives the communication startconfirmation request from the granting-communication determination unit813, transmits data including an instruction content regarding as towhether or not to start the communication immediately to the wirelesscommunication controlling device 8.

The communication unit 730 receives from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 the data including an instruction content as towhether or not to start the communication immediately, and transmits thereceived data to the granting-communication determination unit 813.

When the instruction content included in the data transmitted from thewireless communication terminal device 2 is an instruction to start thecommunication immediately (“Yes” at step S404), thegranting-communication determination unit 813 ends the datacommunication determination process at step S310, and advances thewireless communication control process to step S311.

On the other hand, when the instruction content included in the datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 is aninstruction not to start the communication immediately, namely, aninstruction to postpone the start of the communication (“No” at stepS404), the granting-communication determination unit 813 brings the datacommunication determination process back to step S302.

When the data communication determination process returns to step S302,the communication unit 730 re-receives the terminal location data, thetime data, the wireless communication quality data, and the service typedata, which are newly transmitted from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 (step S302). The location determination unit 711re-determines the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located based on the newly transmittedterminal location data from the wireless communication terminal device 2(step S303). The threshold determination unit 812 re-determines thewireless communication quality threshold based on this re-determinedcommunication area and the newly-transmitted service type data from thewireless communication terminal device 2 (step S304). Thegranting-communication determination unit 813 re-transmits the inquiryabout the current connecting terminal number to the wireless basestation device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located (stepS305). The wireless base station device 3, which receives the re-sentinquiry, computes the current connecting terminal number again (stepS306), and transmits data on the computed current connecting terminalnumber to the wireless communication controlling device 8 (step S307).The granting-communication determination unit 813 performs the datacommunication determination process again based on the re-determinedwireless communication quality threshold and the re-received currentconnecting terminal number (step S310).

The foregoing loop process from step S302 to step S310 is repeated untilthe postponed communication between the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the server 5 is started.

On the other hand, when the wireless communication control processproceeds to step S311, the granting-communication determination unit 813transmits notifications to the wireless communication terminal device 2and the wireless base station device 3 that covers the communicationarea in which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated to inform granting of a permission to start the communicationbetween the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.Subsequently, the communication between the wireless communicationterminal device 2 and the server 5 is started through the wireless basestation device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.

As described in the above, according to the second embodiment, when thecommunication between the wireless communication terminal device 2 andthe sever 5 is categorized as the one which the immediate start is notnecessarily desired, the communication is postponed until thecommunication environment (wireless communication quality orcommunication speed) is ready for communication in the communicationarea in which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated. Furthermore, even in the case where the communication iscategorized as the one which the immediate start is desired, thecommunication is postponed until the communication environment isimproved in the communication area in which the wireless communicationterminal device 2 is currently located when a postponement is instructedby a user of the wireless communication terminal device 2.

On the other hand, according to the second embodiment, when thecommunication environment is satisfactory in the communication area inwhich the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located,the communication between the wireless communication terminal device 2and the server 5 is started immediately at the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2. Furthermore, even when thecommunication environment is not satisfactory in the communication areain which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated, the communication is started immediately in response to aninstruction from a user of the wireless communication terminal device 2when that communication is categorized as the one which the immediatestart thereof is desired.

Accordingly, the second embodiment allows to resolve the imbalance infrequency utilization efficiency across the communication areas as muchas possible while allowing the wireless communication terminal devicesto execute communications in the communication areas in which thewireless communication terminal devices are currently located.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the data communicationdetermination process uses the current communication speed valueobtained from the wireless base station device 3 that covers thecommunication area in which the wireless communication terminal device 2is currently located. Accordingly, the second embodiment allows toperform the determination as to whether or not to start the datacommunication requested by the wireless communication terminal devicemore accurately compared with the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment

In the first embodiment, the wireless communication controlling device 7is included in the server 5.

On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the wireless communicationcontrolling device 7 is included in the wireless base station device 3,instead of the server 5.

In the third embodiment, constituting elements of the wirelesscommunication controlling device 7 included in the wireless base stationdevice 3 may be the same as those illustrated in FIG. 5. The controllingunit 710 may correspond to, for example, the CPU 301, the RAM 303, andthe ROM 302. The storage unit 720 may correspond to, for example, theauxiliary storage device 304. The communication unit 730 may correspondto, for example, the communication interface 305.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary flow of the wireless communication controlprocess according to the third embodiment.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits terminal locationdata, time data, wireless communication quality data, and service typedata to the wireless communication controlling device 7 when thewireless communication terminal device 2 requests a communicationservice for the server 5 (step S501). In the third embodiment, thewireless communication controlling device 7 is included in the wirelessbase station device 3. Thus, the wireless communication terminal device2 transmits these data to the wireless base station device 3 that coversthe communication area in which the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 is currently located. The transmission of these data performedat step S501 is repeated at a predetermined time interval until thecommunication starts between the wireless communication terminal device2 and the server 5.

The communication unit 730 receives the terminal location data, the timedata, the wireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 (stepS502).

The location determination unit 711 receives the terminal location datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. The location determination unit 711 looks upthe map information database 721, and compares the location indicated bythe received terminal location data with the regions of the mapinformation database 721. The location determination unit 711 determinesthe region including the location indicated by the terminal locationdata as the communication area that covers the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2 (step S503). The locationdetermination unit 711 transmits data on the determined communicationarea to the threshold determination unit 712.

The threshold determination unit 712 receives the data on thecommunication area determined by the location determination unit 711.The threshold determination unit 712 further receives the time data, thewireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730.

The threshold determination unit 712 looks up the wireless communicationquality database 722, and determines the wireless communication qualitythreshold that corresponds to the communication service indicated by theservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711 (step S504).

The threshold determination unit 712 looks up the connecting terminalnumber database 723, and determines the average connecting terminalnumber that corresponds to the time indicated by the time data receivedfrom the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the communicationarea determined by the location determination unit 711 (step S505).

The threshold determination unit 712 transmits respective data on thedetermined wireless communication quality threshold and the determinedaverage connecting terminal number to the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 receives therespective data on the determined wireless communication qualitythreshold and the determined average connecting terminal number from thethreshold determination unit 712. The granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 further receives the wireless communicationquality data and the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 through the communication unit 730.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 determines whether ornot to grant a permission to start a communication for the communicationservice indicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by use of the received wirelesscommunication quality threshold and the received average connectingterminal number (step S506).

The data communication determination process at step S506 may be similarto the foregoing process described with reference to FIG. 11. When thestart of communication is postponed as a result of the datacommunication determination process at step S506, the wirelesscommunication control process returns to step S502. When the start ofcommunication is allowed as a result of the data communicationdetermination process at step S506, the wireless communication controlprocess proceeds to step S507.

When the wireless communication control process proceeds to step S507,the granting-communication determination unit 713 transmitsnotifications to the wireless communication terminal device 2 and theserver 5 to inform granting of a permission to start the communicationbetween the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.Subsequently, the communication between the wireless communicationterminal device 2 and the server 5 is started through the wireless basestation device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.

According to the third embodiment, advantageous effects similar to thosein the foregoing first embodiment may be obtained by including thewireless communication controlling device 7 in the wireless base stationdevice 3.

Fourth Embodiment

In the second embodiment, the wireless communication controlling device8 is included in the server 5.

On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the wireless communicationcontrolling device 8 is included in the wireless base station device 3,instead of the server 5.

In the fourth embodiment, constituting elements of the wirelesscommunication controlling device 8 included in the wireless base stationdevice 3 may be the same as those illustrated in FIG. 12. Thecontrolling unit 810 may correspond to, for example, the CPU 301, theRAM 303, and the ROM 302. The storage unit 820 may correspond to, forexample, the auxiliary storage device 304. The communication unit 730may correspond to, for example, the communication interface 305.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary flow of the wireless communication controlprocess according to the fourth embodiment.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits terminal locationdata, time data, wireless communication quality data, and service typedata to the wireless communication controlling device 8 when thewireless communication terminal device 2 requests a communicationservice for the server 5 (step S601). In the fourth embodiment, thewireless communication controlling device 8 is included in the wirelessbase station device 3. Thus, the wireless communication terminal device2 transmits these data to the wireless base station device 3 that coversthe communication area in which the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 is currently located. The transmission of these data performedat step S601 is repeated at a predetermined time interval until thecommunication starts between the wireless communication terminal device2 and the server 5.

The communication unit 730 receives the terminal location data, the timedata, the wireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 (stepS602).

The location determination unit 711 receives the terminal location datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. The location determination unit 711 looks upthe map information database 721, and compares the location indicated bythe received terminal location data with the regions of the mapinformation database 721. The location determination unit 711 determinesthe region including the location indicated by the terminal locationdata as the communication area that covers the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2 (step S603). The locationdetermination unit 711 transmits data on the determined communicationarea to the threshold determination unit 812.

The threshold determination unit 812 receives the data on thecommunication area determined by the location determination unit 711.The threshold determination unit 812 further receives the time data, thewireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730.

The threshold determination unit 812 looks up the wireless communicationquality database 722, and determines the wireless communication qualitythreshold that corresponds to the communication service indicated by theservice type data transmitted from the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711 (step S604). The threshold determination unit 812transmits data on the determined wireless communication qualitythreshold to the granting-communication determination unit 813.

The controlling unit 810 computes the number of the wirelesscommunication terminal devices 2 that are currently in process, namely,the current connecting terminal number (step S605). The computation ofthe current connecting terminal number is performed with a computationprocess unit (not illustrated in the figure) in the controlling unit 810by counting the number of the wireless communication terminal devices 2that are being connected in a communication process database (notillustrated in the figure) stored in the storage unit 820. Thecomputation process unit in the controlling unit 810 transmits data onthe computed current connecting terminal number to thegranting-communication determination unit 813.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 receives the wirelesscommunication quality data and the service type data transmitted fromthe wireless communication terminal device 2 through the communicationunit 730. The granting-communication determination unit 813 receives theconnecting terminal number data transmitted from the computation processunit. The granting-communication determination unit 813 receives thedetermined wireless communication quality threshold from the thresholddetermination unit 812.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 determines whether ornot to grant a permission to start a communication for the communicationservice indicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by use of the received wirelesscommunication quality threshold and the received connecting terminalnumber (step S606).

The data communication determination process at step S606 may be similarto the foregoing data communication determination process at step S310described with reference to FIG. 14. When the start of communication ispostponed as a result of the data communication determination process atstep S606, the wireless communication control process returns to stepS602. When the start of communication is allowed as a result of the datacommunication determination process at step S606, the wirelesscommunication control process proceeds to step S607.

When the wireless communication control process proceeds to step S607,the granting-communication determination unit 813 transmitsnotifications to the wireless communication terminal device 2 and theserver 5 to inform granting of a permission to start the communicationbetween the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.Subsequently, the communication between the wireless communicationterminal device 2 and the server 5 is started through the wireless basestation device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.

According to the fourth embodiment, advantageous effects similar tothose in the foregoing second embodiment may be obtained by includingthe wireless communication controlling device 8 in the wireless basestation device 3.

Fifth Embodiment

In the first embodiment, the wireless communication controlling device 7is included in the server 5. On the other hand, in the third embodiment,the wireless communication controlling device 7 is included in thewireless base station device 3.

However, in the fifth embodiment, the wireless communication controllingdevice 7 is included in the wireless communication terminal device 2,instead of the server 5 or the wireless base station device 3.

In the fifth embodiment, constituting elements of the wirelesscommunication controlling device 7 included in the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 may be the same as those illustrated inFIG. 5. The controlling unit 710 may correspond to, for example, the CPU201, the RAM 204, and the ROM 203. The storage unit 720 may correspondto, for example, the auxiliary storage device 205. The communicationunit 730 may correspond to, for example, the communication interface206.

However, various databases 721-724 included in the storage unit 720 ofthe wireless communication controlling device 7 are databases receivedfrom a database management device 9 which will be described below.

In the fifth embodiment, the server 5 includes the database managementdevice 9. The database management device 9 is a device that extractsfrom a storage unit in the database management device 9 databases to beused by the wireless communication controlling device 7 to perform thewireless communication control process, and that transmits the extracteddatabases to the wireless communication controlling device 7.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of the databasemanagement device 9 according to the fifth embodiment. Of constitutingelements of the database management device 9 illustrated in FIG. 17,constituting elements similar to the ones of the wireless communicationcontrolling device 7 illustrated in FIG. 5 are denoted with the samereference numerals as those in FIG. 5.

The database management device 9 includes a controlling unit 910, astorage unit 720, and a communication unit 730.

The controlling unit 910 includes a location determination unit 711 anda database acquisition unit 911. The controlling unit 910 may correspondto, for example, the CPU 501, the ROM 502, and the RAM 503. The storageunit 720 may correspond to, for example, the auxiliary storage device504. The communication unit 730 may correspond to, for example, thecommunication interface 505.

The location determination unit 711 receives terminal location datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. The location determination unit 711 comparesthe received terminal location data with latitude and longitude data ofregions managed by the map information database 721, and determines inwhich communication area of the wireless base station device 3 thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located. Thelocation determination unit 711 transmits data on the determinedcommunication area to the database acquisition unit 911.

The database acquisition unit 911 receives time data and service typedata transmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2through the communication unit 730. Furthermore, the databaseacquisition unit 911 receives the data on the determined communicationarea from the location determination unit 711. The database acquisitionunit 911 extracts respective data that correspond to a communicationservice indicated by the received service type data, time indicated bythe received time data, and the determined communication area from thecorresponding databases 721-724. The database acquisition unit 911transmits the extracted data to the wireless communication controllingdevice 7 through the communication unit 730 as data having formats ofthe corresponding databases 721-724.

FIG. 18 is an exemplary flow of the wireless communication controlprocess according to the fifth embodiment.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits terminal locationdata, time data, wireless communication quality data, and service typedata to the database management device 9 when the wireless communicationterminal device 2 requests a communication service for the server 5(step S701). In the fifth embodiment, the database management device 9is included in the server 5. Thus, the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 transmits these data to the server 5 through the wireless basestation device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located. Thetransmission of these data performed at step S701 is repeated at apredetermined time interval until the communication starts between thewireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.

The communication unit 730 in the database management device 9 receivesthe terminal location data, the time data, the wireless communicationquality data, and the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 (step S702).

The location determination unit 711 in the database management device 9receives the terminal location data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 through the communication unit 730. Thelocation determination unit 711 looks up the map information database721, and compares the location indicated by the received terminallocation data with the regions of the map information database 721. Thelocation determination unit 711 determines the region including thelocation indicated by the terminal location data as the communicationarea that covers the current location of the wireless communicationterminal device 2. The location determination unit 711 transmits data onthe determined communication area to the database acquisition unit 911.

The database acquisition unit 911 receives the data on the communicationarea determined by the location determination unit 711. Furthermore, thedatabase acquisition unit 911 receives the time data, the wirelesscommunication quality data, and the service type data transmitted fromthe wireless communication terminal device 2 through the communicationunit 730.

The database acquisition unit 911 acquires data on a predetermined rangeof regions that includes a region corresponding to the determinedcommunication area and regions surrounding the determined communicationarea from the map information database 721.

The database acquisition unit 911 acquires from the wirelesscommunication quality database 722 data on the wireless communicationquality value that correspond to the acquired predetermined range ofregions and a predetermined range of time including the time indicatedby the time data. Furthermore, the database acquisition unit 911acquires from the wireless communication quality database 722 data onthe wireless communication quality threshold that corresponds to theacquired wireless communication quality value and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2.

The database acquisition unit 911 acquires from the connecting terminalnumber database 723 data on the average connecting terminal number thatcorresponds to the acquired predetermined range of regions and apredetermined range of time including the time indicated by the timedata.

The database acquisition unit 911 acquires from the setup connectingterminal number database 724 data on the setup connecting terminalnumber that corresponds to the service type data.

The database acquisition unit 911 transmits the data respectivelyacquired from the databases 721-724 to the wireless communicationcontrolling device 7 through the communication unit 730 as data havingformats of the corresponding databases 721-724 (step S703).

The communication unit 730 of the wireless communication controllingdevice 7 receives these data transmitted from the database managementdevice 9 (step S704). The data received with the communication unit 730are stored in the storage unit 720 with the respective forms of thecorresponding databases 721-724.

The location determination unit 711 looks up the map informationdatabase 721 stored in the storage unit 720, and compares the locationindicated by the terminal location data with the regions of the mapinformation database 721. The location determination unit 711 determinesthe region including the location indicated by the terminal locationdata as the communication area that covers the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2 (step S705). The locationdetermination unit 711 transmits data on the determined communicationarea to the threshold determination unit 712.

The threshold determination unit 712 looks up the wireless communicationquality database 722 stored in the storage unit 720, and determines thewireless communication quality threshold that corresponds to thecommunication service indicated by the service type data transmittedfrom the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the communicationarea determined by the location determination unit 711 (step S706).

The threshold determination unit 712 looks up the connecting terminalnumber database 723 stored in the storage unit 720, and determines theaverage connecting terminal number that corresponds to the timeindicated by the time data transmitted from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 and the communication area determined by the locationdetermination unit 711 (step S707).

The threshold determination unit 712 transmits respective data on thedetermined wireless communication quality threshold and the determinedaverage connecting terminal number to the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 receives from thethreshold determination unit 712 the respective data on the determinedwireless communication quality threshold and the determined averageconnecting terminal number. Furthermore, the granting-communicationdetermination unit 713 receives the wireless communication quality dataand the service type data transmitted from the wireless communicationterminal device 2 through the communication unit 730.

The granting-communication determination unit 713 determines whether ornot to grant a permission to start a communication for the communicationservice indicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by use of the received wirelesscommunication quality threshold and the received average connectingterminal number (step S708).

The data communication determination process at step S708 may be similarto the foregoing data communication determination process at step S106described with reference to FIG. 11. When the start of communication ispostponed as a result of the data communication determination process atstep S708, the wireless communication control process returns to stepS701. When the start of communication is allowed as a result of the datacommunication determination process at step S708, the wirelesscommunication control process proceeds to step S709.

When the wireless communication control process proceeds to step S709,the granting-communication determination unit 713 transmitsnotifications to the wireless base station device 3 and the server 5through the communication unit 730 to inform granting of a permission tostart the communication between the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the server 5. Subsequently, the communication between thewireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5 is startedthrough the wireless base station device 3 that covers the communicationarea in which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated.

According to the fifth embodiment, advantageous effects similar to thosein the foregoing first embodiment may be obtained by including thewireless communication controlling device 7 in the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2.

Sixth Embodiment

In the second embodiment, the wireless communication controlling device8 is included in the server 5. On the other hand, in the fourthembodiment, the wireless communication controlling device 8 is includedin the wireless base station device 3.

However, in the sixth embodiment, the wireless communication controllingdevice 8 is included in the wireless communication terminal device 2,instead of the server 5 or the wireless base station device 3.

In the sixth embodiment, constituting elements of the wirelesscommunication controlling device 8 included in the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 may be the same as those illustrated inFIG. 12. The controlling unit 810 may correspond to, for example, theCPU 201, the RAM 204, and the ROM 203. The storage unit 820 maycorrespond to, for example, the auxiliary storage device 205. Thecommunication unit 730 may correspond to, for example, the communicationinterface 206.

However, various databases 721, 722, and 724 included in the storageunit 820 of the wireless communication controlling device 8 aredatabases received from a database management device 10 which will bedescribed below.

In the sixth embodiment, the server 5 includes the database managementdevice 10. The database management device 10 is a device that extractsfrom a storage unit in the database management device 10 databases to beused by the wireless communication controlling device 8 to perform thewireless communication control process, and that transmits the extracteddatabases to the wireless communication controlling device 8.

FIG. 19 is an exemplary functional configuration diagram of the databasemanagement device 10 according to the sixth embodiment. Of constitutingelements of the database management device 10 illustrated in FIG. 19,constituting elements similar to the ones of the wireless communicationcontrolling device 8 illustrated in FIG. 12 are denoted with the samereference numerals as those in FIG. 12.

The database management device 10 includes a controlling unit 1010, astorage unit 820, and a communication unit 730. The controlling unit1010 may correspond to the CPU 501, the ROM 502, and the RAM 503. Thestorage unit 820 may correspond to the auxiliary storage device 504. Thecommunication unit 730 may correspond to the communication interface505.

The controlling unit 1010 includes a location determination unit 711 anda database acquisition unit 1011.

The location determination unit 711 receives terminal location datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. The location determination unit 711 comparesthe received terminal location data with latitude and longitude data ofregions managed by the map information database 721, and determines inwhich communication area of the wireless base station device 3 thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located. Thelocation determination unit 711 transmits data on the determinedcommunication area to the database acquisition unit 1011.

The data acquisition unit 1011 receives time data and service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730. Furthermore, the database acquisition unit1011 receives the data on the determined communication area from thelocation determination unit 712. The database acquisition unit 1011extracts respective data that correspond to a communication serviceindicated by the received service type data, time indicated by thereceived time data, and the determined communication area from thecorresponding databases 721, 722, and 724. The data acquisition unit1011 transmits the extracted data to the wireless communicationcontrolling device 8 through the communication unit 730 as data havingformats of the corresponding databases 721, 722, and 724.

FIG. 20 is an exemplary flow of the wireless communication controlprocess according to the sixth embodiment.

The wireless communication terminal device 2 transmits terminal locationdata, time data, wireless communication quality data, and service typedata to the database management device 10 when the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 requests a communication service for theserver 5 (step S801). In the sixth embodiment, the database managementdevice 10 is included in the server 5. Thus, the wireless communicationterminal device 2 transmits these data to the server 5 through thewireless base station device 3 that covers the communication area inwhich the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located.The transmission of these data performed at step S801 is repeated at apredetermined time interval until the communication starts between thewireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5.

The communication unit 730 in the database management device 10 receivesthe terminal location data, the time data, the wireless communicationquality data, and the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 (step S802).

The location determination unit 711 in the database management device 10receives the terminal location data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 through the communication unit 730. Thelocation determination unit 711 looks up the map information database721, and compares the location indicated by the received terminallocation data with the regions of the map information database 721. Thelocation determination unit 711 determines the region including thelocation indicated by the terminal location data as the communicationarea that covers the current location of the wireless communicationterminal device 2. The location determination unit 711 transmits data onthe determined communication area to the database acquisition unit 1011.

The database acquisition unit 1011 receives the data on thecommunication area determined by the location determination unit 711.Furthermore, the database acquisition unit 1011 receives the time data,the wireless communication quality data, and the service type datatransmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2 throughthe communication unit 730.

The database acquisition unit 1011 acquires data on a predeterminedrange of regions that includes a region corresponding to the determinedcommunication area and regions surrounding the determined communicationarea from the map information database 721.

The database acquisition unit 1011 acquires from the wirelesscommunication quality database 722 data on the wireless communicationquality value that corresponds to the acquired predetermined range ofregions and a predetermined range of time including the time indicatedby the time data. Furthermore, the database acquisition unit 1011acquires from the wireless communication quality database 722 data onthe wireless communication quality threshold that corresponds to theacquired wireless communication quality value data and the service typedata transmitted from the wireless communication terminal device 2.

The database acquisition unit 1011 acquires data on the setup connectingterminal number that corresponds to the service type data from the setupconnecting terminal number database 724.

The database acquisition unit 1011 transmits the data respectivelyacquired from the databases 721, 722, and 724 to the wirelesscommunication controlling device 8 through the communication unit 730 asdata having formats of the corresponding databases 721, 721, and 724(step S803).

The communication unit 730 of the wireless communication controllingdevice 8 receives these data transmitted from the database managementdevice 10 (step S804). The data received with the communication unit 730are stored in the storage unit 820 with the formats of the correspondingdatabases 721, 722, and 724.

The location determination unit 711 looks up the map informationdatabase 721 stored in the storage unit 820, and compares the locationindicated by the terminal location data with the regions of the mapinformation database 721. The location determination unit 711 determinesthe region including the location indicated by the terminal locationdata as the communication area that covers the current location of thewireless communication terminal device 2 (step S805). The locationdetermination unit 711 transmits data on the determined communicationarea to the threshold determination unit 812.

The threshold determination unit 812 looks up the wireless communicationquality database 722 stored in the storage unit 820, and determines thewireless communication quality threshold that corresponds to thecommunication service indicated by the service type data transmittedfrom the wireless communication terminal device 2 and the communicationarea determined by the location determination unit 711 (step S806). Thethreshold determination unit 812 transmits data on the determinedwireless communication quality threshold to the granting-communicationdetermination unit 813.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 transmits an inquiryabout the current connecting terminal number to the wireless basestation device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located (stepS807).

The wireless base station device 3 receives the inquiry about thecurrent connecting terminal number (step S808), and computes the currentconnecting terminal number (step S809). The wireless base station device3 transmits data on the computed current connecting terminal number tothe wireless communication controlling device 8 (step S810).

The granting-communication determination unit 813 receives the data onthe current connecting terminal number transmitted from the wirelessbase station device 3 that covers the communication area in which thewireless communication terminal device 2 is currently located throughthe communication unit 730 (step S811). Furthermore, thegranting-communication determination unit 813 receives the wirelesscommunication quality data and the service type data transmitted fromthe wireless communication terminal device 2 through the communicationunit 730. The granting-communication determination unit 813 receives thedata on the determined wireless communication quality threshold from thethreshold determination unit 812.

The granting-communication determination unit 813 determines whether ornot to grant a permission to start a communication for the communicationservice indicated by the service type data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2 by use of the received wirelesscommunication quality threshold and the received connecting terminalnumber received (step S812).

The data communication determination process at step S812 may be similarto the foregoing data communication determination process at step S310described with reference to FIG. 14. When the start of communication ispostponed as a result of the data communication determination process atstep S812, the wireless communication control process returns to stepS801. When the start of communication is allowed as a result of the datacommunication determination process at step S812, the wirelesscommunication control process proceeds to step S813.

When the wireless communication control process proceeds to step S813,the granting-communication determination unit 813 transmitsnotifications to the wireless base station device 3 and the server 5through the communication unit 730 to inform granting of a permission tostart the communication between the wireless communication terminaldevice 2 and the server 5. Subsequently, the communication between thewireless communication terminal device 2 and the server 5 is startedthrough the wireless base station device 3 that covers the communicationarea in which the wireless communication terminal device 2 is currentlylocated.

According to the sixth embodiment, advantageous effects similar to thosein the foregoing second embodiment may be obtained by including thewireless communication controlling device 8 in the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2.

Seventh Embodiment

The foregoing first to sixth embodiments may be combined or modified asdesired.

For example, the constituting elements of the wireless communicationcontrolling device 7 or 8 may be distributed to the wirelesscommunication terminal device 2, the wireless base station device 3, andthe server 5 so as to be mounted therein.

In this application, for example, “connected to” is able to be replacedwith “coupled to”. Moreover, for example, when an element is referred toas being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it can bedirectly connected or coupled to the other element or interveningelements may be present. So do “connecting to”, “coupling to”,“connection to”, “coupling to” and so on.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended forpedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the inventionand the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, andare to be construed as being without limitation to such specificallyrecited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of suchexamples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority andinferiority of the invention. Although the embodiments of the presentinvention have been described in detail, it should be understood thatthe various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made heretowithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless communication controlling device forcontrolling a communication between a wireless terminal and a server viaa base station, the wireless communication controlling devicecomprising: a receiver configured to receive a request of a service forthe server, time data relating to a timing of the service, location datarelating to a location of the wireless terminal, quality data relatingto a quality of the wireless communication channel between the wirelessterminal and the base station, and service data relating to a type ofthe service; and a processor configured to estimate a communicationspeed for the service in accordance with the time data and the locationdata, to determine a quality threshold and a speed thresholdrespectively, in accordance with the location data and the service data,and to determine whether to grant the request of the service for theserver or not, in accordance with a comparison between the quality dataand the quality threshold and a comparison between the estimatedcommunication speed and the speed threshold.
 2. The wirelesscommunication controlling device according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured to determine to grant the request, when thequality data is not less than the quality threshold or the estimatedcommunication speed is not less than the speed threshold.
 3. Thewireless communication controlling device according to claim 1, whereinthe processor is configured to determine whether the service dataindicates that the service requires real-time property, when the qualitydata is less than the quality threshold and the estimated communicationspeed is less than the speed threshold.
 4. The wireless communicationcontrolling device according to claim 3, wherein the processor isconfigured to postpone the service, when the service data doesn'tindicate that the service requires real-time property.
 5. The wirelesscommunication controlling device according to claim 3, wherein theprocessor is configured to inquire of the wireless terminal whether theservice starts, when the service data indicates that the servicerequires real-time property.
 6. The wireless communication controllingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communicationcontrolling device is included in the server.
 7. The wirelesscommunication controlling device according to claim 1, wherein thewireless communication controlling device is included in the basestation.
 8. The wireless communication controlling device according toclaim 1, wherein the wireless communication controlling device isincluded in the wireless terminal.
 9. A wireless communication systemcomprising: a wireless terminal; a base station; a server; and awireless communication controlling device configured to control acommunication between the wireless terminal and the server via the basestation, wherein the wireless communication controlling device includinga receiver configured to receive a request of a service for the server,time data relating to a timing of the service, location data relating toa location of the wireless terminal, quality data relating to a qualityof the wireless communication channel between the wireless terminal andthe base station, and service data relating to a type of the service anda processor configured to estimate a communication speed for the servicein accordance with the time data and the location data, to determine aquality threshold and a speed threshold respectively, in accordance withthe location data and the service data, and to determine whether togrant the request of the service for the server or not, in accordancewith a comparison between the quality data and the quality threshold anda comparison between the estimated communication speed and the speedthreshold.
 10. A wireless communication controlling method forcontrolling a communication between a wireless terminal and a server viaa base station, the wireless communication controlling methodcomprising: receiving a request of a service for the server, time datarelating to a timing of the service, location data relating to alocation of the wireless terminal, quality data relating to a quality ofthe wireless communication channel between the wireless terminal and thebase station, and service data relating to a type of the service;estimating a communication speed for the service in accordance with thetime data and the location data; determining a quality threshold and aspeed threshold respectively, in accordance with the location data andthe service data; and determining whether to grant the request of theservice for the server or not, in accordance with a comparison betweenthe quality data and the quality threshold and a comparison between theestimated communication speed and the speed threshold.